Timepiece movement comprising a jumping type indicator

ABSTRACT

A timepiece movement including a star gear for driving a jumping indicator of the type used on digital indicator timepieces. The star gear is driven by a cam which moves the star gear one step for each cam rotation. The cam is continuously biased to rotate by an auxiliary spring, and a lever under the control of the main timepiece releases the cam for a single rotation at time intervals commensurate with the digital display to be made by the member connected to the star gear.

United States Patent 1191 Bachmann 51 Jan. 23, 1973 154] TIMEPIECE MOVEMENT 2,968,143 l/l961 Meyer ..5s/125 R COMPRISING A JUMPING TYPE 2,766,578 /1956 Robert-Charrue... ..58/59 2,921,476 l/l960 Vogt ..58/59 X INDICATOR 3,290,875 12/1966 Egger et al.... ....58/l R [75] Inventor: Peter Bachmann, Bettlach, Switzer- 3,408,810 11/1968 Meitinger ..58/l25 R FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 73 A l 1 ssgnee 2:21:22 i i ii 197,349 7/1938 Switzerland ..58/l25 R [22] Filed: Jan. 7, 1971 Primary Examiner-Richard B. Wilkinson Assistant Examiner--Stanley A. Wal [21] Appl' l04678 Attorney-Stevens, Davis, Miller & Mosher Foreign Application Priority Data ABSTRACT Jan. 12, 1970 Switzerland ..34s A timepiece movement ihciudihg a Star gear for driving a jumping indicator of the type usedon digital in- 52 us. (:1. ..58/58, 58/59, 58/125 B dicamf tihiePieces- The gear is driven by a cam 51 Int. Cl. ..G04b 19/24, G04b 33/00 which the Star gear step for each Cam [58] Field of Search ..58/59 R 125 B 58 The is chiihuusiy biased by i auxiliary spring, and a lever under the control of the [56] Reerences Cited main timepiece releases the cam for a single rotation at time intervals commensurate with the digital display UNITED STATES PATENTS to be made by the member connected to the star gear. 3,367,104 2/1968 Rogers ..58/58 6 Claims, 1 Drawing Figure PATENTEDJAH231975 3'. 712,048

INVENTOR PETER BACHMANN Zea/M W W TOS TIMEPIECE MOVEMENT COMPRISING A JUMPING TYPE INDICATOR There is at present a demand for timepiece movements suitable for use with timepieces having digital type indicators for indicating not only the day of the month, the day of the week, but, as well, the hour, the minute and even the second. The indicating means used in these movements are commonly discs which are displaced under the dial and so allow their indicia to appear in a window. It is clear that, to be readily visible, these indicia must be jumped or displaced intermittently. Now the intermittent and rapid movement of an indicator imposes a momentary heavy overload on the power source for the movement, and one can see that such an overload can upset the synchronism of the movement.

. The object of the present invention is to provide a clock movement comprising an intermittently movable or jumping indicator means subject to the action of an auxiliary spring motor and a command mechanism regulated by the time base of the movement and capable of commanding the step-wise displacements ofsaid movable indicator.

Thus, the clock movement according to the present invention comprises a rotatable cam subject to the action of an auxiliary spring and an oscillating lever capable of freeing and of blocking said cam, said oscillating lever cooperating with a rotating command means regulated by the time base.

The single figure of the attached drawing shows schematically in a top plan view certain elements of one form of construction of the movement in accordance with the present invention.

The timepiece shown in the drawing can be a watch or a small clock or indeed any other timepiece comprising at least a jumping type indicia indicating member. This member can be used for indicating hours or minutes, or should the occasion arise, units'of minutes or units of hours or, on the contrary, tens of minutes or tens of hours as well as days of the month, days of the week or even seconds.

The indicator in question (not shown) is fixed to a star gear I having l teeth. The gear I pivots about an axis 2 in the interior of the movement of the described timepiece. The movement comprises additionally a rotating command piece 3 which is in the form ofa circular, flat disc having at one place in its periphery a V- notch 4. This command piece 3 is driven in rotation at a constant speed by'parts of the movement which are not shown in the drawing but which comprise a power source, for example, a spring motor, a reduction gear train and a speed regulator, for example, a spring balance regulator. The speed of rotation of the disc 3 is such that the duration of one of its revolutions corresponds to the interval of time which separates successive step-wise movements ofthe star gear I.

The star gear I is driven by a driving mechanism which includes an auxiliary spring motor housed in the interior of a going barrel 5. The cylindrical wall of the going barrel 5 is in mesh with a pinion 6 which itself drives a toothed disc 7 the arbor 8 of which carries a brake 24, for example, a fly brake. The pinion 6 is fixed to a cam 9 having the form of a flat disc of uniform thickness located exactly at the height of disc 3 and at the height of star gear I. This cam 9 presents, on its periphery, a projecting ear I0 provided at the leading edge, in'the direction of rotation indicated by the arrow 2], with a straight edge II inclined so as to form with the circular edge of the car 10 an acute angle. At its rear or trailing extremity, the ear [0 is defined by a radial edge 12.

The cam 9 cooperates with an anchor 13 which pivots around an axis 14, parallel to those of the cam 9, the going barrel 5 and the star gear 1. The anchor comprises an arm 15 terminating in a beak 16 located in the vicinity of the periphery of the disc 3. It includes also two arms 17 and 18 which cooperate with the cam 9. The arm 17 directed toward the rear, terminates in a triangular point 19 while the arm 18, directed forward, terminates in a re-entrant hook or tooth 20.

The functioning of the described driving mechanism is apparent from the drawing. Normally, that is to say, as long as the notch 4 is in a different position from that which registers with the beak I6, the forward point 11 of the car 10 pushes against the rear flank of the triangular point 19. Under the thrust of the auxiliary spring motor in going barrel 5 the cam 9 is biased to rotate in the direction of the arrow 21 and so exerts on the anchor 13 a thrust such that the beak l6 presses against the periphery of the disc 3. Yet, from the time that the notch 4 commences to appear under the beak 16, as a result of the rotation of the disc 3 in the direction of the arrow 22, the anchor commences to pivot about its axis 14 so that the point 19 releases the cam 9 which advances until the edge II of the car 10 catches in the reentrant 20. The movement of the disc 3 continuing, the anchor 13 next pivots in a direction opposite to its first movement so that, at the moment when the notch 4 has entirely passed from under the beak 16, the tooth 20 has again liberated the ear I0. The going barrel 5 then drives the cam 9, the speed of which is limited only by the brake mounted on the arbor 8. In the course of the rotation of cam 9, the ear 10 engages one of the teeth 23 of the star gear I and makes it turn one step. Finally the ear l0 abuts against the posterior edge of the point 19 which it again finds in its path and which blocks the cam until the disc 3 completes another rotation.

With the described arrangement, one notes that the demand made by the driving mechanism for the stepwise moving indicator upon the source of power of the movement is very constant because it amounts to no more than the rubbing of the beak I6 against the periphery of the disc 3. On the other hand, all of the energy necessary to actuate the star gear 1 is furnished by the auxiliary going barrel 5.

It is, of course, understood that the star gear I will cooperate with a jumper to regulate its position and to maintain it immobile between driving periods.

One finds that the means described above permit driving of any kind ofajumping indicator located in the movement ofa timepiece. The same movement can additionally contain various jumping indicators driven for different time intervals by mechanisms such as that which has been described above. Should the occasion arise, these different mechanisms can be actuated by the same auxiliary spring motor.

Furthermore, it is not necessary that the rotating organ of command release the driving mechanism only once in each revolution. Thus, in another embodiment, the disc 3 could present two notches 4 diametrically opposite one another. The star gear 1 could in that case carry an indicia indicator for hours graduated in twelve hours, the disc 3 being driven to make one revolution in two hours. When the movement itself is a spring motor one, the same means can be used for winding the principal and auxiliary motors, for example, an oscillating weight. a

What is claimed is:

l. A timepiece movement comprising jumping type indicator means, an auxiliary spring motor, a rotatable cam, a driving connection through which said auxiliary motor biases said cam to rotate, said cam and said indicator means being so constructed and arranged that said cam will actuate said indicator at least once in each of its revolutions, control means regulated by the time base of the instrument, and a lever controlled by said control means and cooperating with said cam to periodically release and block same, whereby after having been released by said lever, the cam is actuated by said auxiliary spring motor and rotates about an angle sufficient to move once said indicator means and is then blocked again by saidcam, before complete unwinding of the auxiliary motor.

2. The timepiece movement according to claim 1 in which said jumping type indicator means includes a star gear, a cam being so constructed as to come into contact with one tooth of said star gear and to drive it one step each time that said cam isfree to rotate,

3. Timepiece movement according to claim I characterized in that the means regulated by the time base of the instrument includes a disc .having at least one release element on its periphery which coacts with said lever to release said cam.

4. A timepiece movement comprising jumping type indicator means, an auxiliary spring motor lodged in a barrel, a rotatable cam fixed to a toothed wheel in mesh with the surface of said barrel through which said auxiliary motor biases said cam to rotate, said cam and said indicator means being so constructed and arranged that said cam will-actuate said means at least once in each of its revolutions,.a lever, means mounting said lever for oscillation between cam blocking and cam releasing positions and means regulated by the time base of the instrument for periodically oscillating said lever.

5. A timepiece movement comprising jumping type indicator means, an auxiliary spring motor mechanism including a braking mechanism driven in rotation by said auxiliary motor, a rotatable cam, a driving connection through which said auxiliary motor biases said cam to rotate, said cam and said indicator means being so constructed and arranged that said cam will actuate said means at least once in each of its revolutions, a lever, means mounting said lever for oscillation between cam blocking and cam releasing positions and means regulated by the time base of the instrument for periodically oscillating said lever.

6. A timepiece movement comprising jumping type indicator means, an auxiliary spring motor, a rotatable cam, a driving connection through which said auxiliary motor biases said cam to rotate, said cam and said indicator means being so constructed and arranged that said cam will actuate said means at least once in each of its revolutions, a lever, means mounting said lever for oscillation between cam blocking and cam releasing positions and means regulated b the time base of the Instrument for periodically oscl atlng said lever, said regulated means including a disc having at least one release element on its periphery which co-acts with said lever to release said cam, and wherein said lever is in the form of an anchor, the stem of which presses radially against the periphery otsaid disc and points of which cooperate successively with a projection from the cam, this projection being normally blocked by the first point, then liberated and blocked by the second while the release element actuates the said lever in one direction and freed again to be blocked by the first point after l revolution during which the release element has passed beyond the extremity of the lever. 

1. A timepiece movement comprising jumping type indicator means, an auxiliary spring motor, a rotatable cam, a driving connection through which said auxiliary motor biases said cam to rotate, said cam and said indicator means being so constructed and arranged that said cam will actuate said indicator at least once in each of its revolutions, control means regulated by the time base of the instrument, and a lever controlled by said control means and cooperating with said cam to periodically release and block same, whereby after having been released by said lever, the cam is actuated by said auxiliary spring motor and rotates about an angle sufficient to move once said indicator means and is then blocked again by said cam, before complete unwinding of the auxiliary motor.
 2. The timepiece movement according to claim 1 in which said jumping type indicator means includes a star gear, a cam being so constructed as to come into contact with one tooth of said star gear and to drive it one step each time that said cam is free to rotate.
 3. Timepiece movement according to claim 1 characterized in that the means regulated by the time base of the instrument includes a disc having at least one release element on its periphery which coacts with said lever to release said cam.
 4. A timepiece movement comprising jumping type indicator means, an auxiliary spring motor lodged in a barrel, a rotatable cam fixed to a toothed wheel in mesh with the surface of said barrel through which said auxiliary motor biases said cam to rotate, said cam and said indicator means being so constructed and arranged that said cam will actuate said means at least once in each of its revolutions, a lever, means mounting said lever for oscillation between cam blocking and cam releasing positions and means regulated by the time base of the instrument for periodically oscillating said lever.
 5. A timepiece movement comprising jumping type indicator means, an auxiliary spring motor mechanism including a braking mechanism driven in rotation by said auxiliary motor, a rotatable cam, a driving connection through which said auxiliary motor biases said cam to rotate, said cam and said indicator means being so constructed and arranged that said cam will actuate said means at least once in each of its revolutions, a lever, means mounting said lever for oscillation between cam blocking and cam releasing positions and means regulated by the time base of the instrument for periodically oscillating said lever.
 6. A timepiece movement comprising jumping type indicator means, an auxiliary spring motor, a rotatable cam, a driving connection through which said auxiliary motor biases said cam to rotate, said cam and said indicator means being so constructed and arranged that said cam will actuate said means at least once in each of its revolutions, a lever, means mounting said lever for oscillation between cam blocking and cam releasing positions and means regulated by the time base of the instrument for periodically oscillating said lever, said regulated means including a disc having at least one release element on its periphery which co-acts with said lever to release said cam, and wherein said lever is in the form of an anchor, the stem of which presses radially against the periphery of said disc and points of which cooperate successively with a projection from the cam, this projection being normally blocked by the first point, then liberated and blocked by the second while the release element actuates the said lever in one direction and freed again to be blocked by the first point after 1 revolution during which the release element has passed beyond the extremity of the lever. 